Requiem of the Fallen
by ZariGS
Summary: Naruto died at the age of five, killed in his sleep by one of the people supposed to be guarding him from attacks. When he's given a second chance at life, however, he chooses not to take it. Watch as chaos ensues in the god realms from his decision.
1. The beginning of the end

So here's a little ficlet that's been bugging me for a while. I haven't abandoned 'A Kitsune's Vengeance', but for those of you who are plagued by plot bunnies like me, well…yeah. You know the deal; I had to get this out as soon as possible.

Anyways, updates to this story will be sporadic at best, as I'll probably be focusing on AKV moreso that this, but if I get enough reviews and/or hits/alerts/etc to this story I'll do my best to continue it. But enough of my rambling, it's time to get on with the show, after the key and disclaimer of course.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, in any way, shape or form, though I can say if I did I probably would have changed a lot of the canon storyline, making Naruto a lot more badass, or at least giving him a girlfriend of some sort.

Key:

"Speaking"

'Thinking'

Story Text

* * *

He'd known this was going to happen eventually, just not that it would happen so soon. Perhaps if he had been a little faster to react things would be different, but the boy—who was scarcely five years old—knew that there was no sense fretting over what had already come to pass. He'd long since learned that the past was the past, and no matter how you tried to change it, it just wouldn't happen.

He let out a rather shaky sigh. There were so many different things he still wanted to do with his life, so many different choices he could have made, and yet….here he was, standing in front of Death's door. He'd been killed while he slept, though at least the process hadn't been painful. Whoever had done the deed had done it quickly, making sure he passed on without any pain, and for that he was grateful.

'Perhaps it's for the better this way…' the young boy thought with another sigh. After all, now that he was dead he no longer had to endure all of the glares, all of the hatred, all of the whispering behind his back. Yes, he would miss those who had truly cared for him, but, given just how few of those kind of people there were, it was probably for the best that he died when he did. At least this way they would be able to move on with their lives, while he drifted into obscurity. He only wished he knew _why_ he had been shown so much hatred….

Ah, regret. For an individual only five years of age, he certainly carried a lot of regret within him. There was regret over what he'd done with his life up to the point he died, regret over not being able to say goodbye, and so much more. Already he found himself missing being alive. But him being alive was in the past, and that was set in stone. There was no going back, as much as he wished he could. Sadly the boy shook his head, before raising his hand to knock on the door in front of him.

Death's door, where those who came here were judged for their placement in the afterlife.

It wasn't long after he knocked that the door swung inwards, admitting him into a long hallway. Having nothing better to do—he was dead, after all—the boy slowly trudged forward, his mind lost in thought. He couldn't help but remember the finer points of his life; what few there had been, anyways. There had been the time he'd met Teuchi and Ayame Ichiraku, the time he'd first discovered ramen, and a few other times that were a little bit hazy. He'd never really been an introspective type, but, now that he was no longer among the living, it wasn't like he had anything else to use to while away the time while he walked; the hallway he was in was devoid of any interesting characteristics, after all. So he continued slowly pacing forward, just letting his mind wander.

How were his friends doing? Were they grieving over his death, or simply rejoicing because he was dead? Had they been deceiving him while he was still alive, or were their feelings genuine? Those questions and more flitted through his mind. He let out a sigh for what seemed like the millionth time since he'd found himself in this strange world. It didn't really matter anymore if his friends had been hiding their true selves or not, he supposed. He was _dead_, after all. Perhaps when they died as well he would be able to ask them, but for now he'd just have to settle for having his questions unanswered.

Though that thought brought up another kettle of fish entirely; where exactly was he, anyways? Was this what they called limbo, where people spent time looking over their past, like he was just doing? Or did this place have something else to it?

Whatever the case was, the boy found that ultimately he didn't really care. He'd had very little going for him in life, and now that he was dead, well….he basically had nothing. The way he saw things, the people back home would be better off without him. Even if he couldn't do much of use in life, at least in death he could make people happy. And that was a plus, at least for him.

It was at about this time that he was broken out of his reverie by a door, one that he had just walked into. Somehow he wasn't surprised that he could still feel pain after death, though he _was_ surprised that he didn't feel surprised over that, as confusing as that sounds. Not wanting to put whatever judgment the gods had in store for him off—common sense dictated that it wasn't good to keep higher beings waiting, after all—he knocked on the door with one hand, while absentmindedly rubbing his nose with the other.

"Come in…" a muffled voice said from the other side. Shrugging slightly to himself in confusion at the distinctly feminine tone, the boy did as told, though he had to stand on his tiptoes to reach the door's handle.

Once he stepped through the second doorway, however, he couldn't help but glance around the new room in curiosity. It was…small, almost cozy in a way. And yet there were papers strewn all over the place, some even tacked up haphazardly against the cream-colored walls as if they were reminders of something. A desk, scarcely wider than the boy was tall, was situated directly in the center of the tiny room. But it was the room's sole occupant that captured his attention almost immediately after he entered.

It was a young girl that looked to be somewhere around his age, though perhaps a little bit older. Her hair was jet black, and reached down to her mid-back, rippling slightly as she cocked her head sideways at him in thought. And yet it was her eyes that drew him in; they were blood red in hue, and lacked pupils entirely. He could have spent ages just staring in amazement at how beautiful they looked, but sadly that future was not meant to be.

"What are you doing here, um…Mr….?"

"Uzumaki Naruto" the boy replied, his voice lacking any emotion entirely. After all, what point was there in trying to be happy or jovial when you had just been assassinated in your sleep?

"Okay…" the girl glanced downwards at a piece of paper that was on her desk for a moment, before looking back up, recognition clicking in her eyes.

"Ah yes, Uzumaki Naruto; age five, killed in his sleep by one Hatake Kakashi, who was ironically supposed to be guarding you. A pity you had to die at such a young age, though hm….it says here that you are to be allowed some….favors, now that you're dead. Gift of the gods if you will, given just how terribad your life was." She sighed when he just gave her a blank look, apparently not understanding. Somehow she wasn't surprised he didn't; he had died at the age of five, never having a normal childhood, being hounded by crazed people from the day he was born. Seriously what the fuck was up with his village, beating him and making his life shit for something he didn't do? Yes, there was a big bad fox girl stuck in his gut—at least while he had been alive—but that didn't give the mortal idiots the right to screw up his life…

"It means you get a second chance at living, kid, if you want one that is."

Silently Naruto's mouth formed a small 'o', before rapidly returning to the blank look as he returned to the land of thought. Oh, the possibilities of having a second chance; he could go back and fix everything he'd done wrong, maybe becoming a ninja along the way as well. He could also potentially finally get the family he'd always dreamed of, or at least someone he could love before dying yet again.

But the more he thought about it, the less he liked the idea of going back. After all, why should he even bother, when practically everyone around him had gone out of their way to make his life a living hell? Sure, going back would mean he'd have a chance to prove everyone wrong, but was that worth enduring more glares, more hatred, and more abuse?

He didn't think so.

Letting out another sigh, he shuffled his feet around a bit before coming to a decision.

"…I think I'm fine with whatever you guys have in store for me here, thanks."

The girl—who was really the Shinigami in her true form—blinked once, twice, before leaning back in her chair. Talk about an unpredictable boy….granted, if he'd gone back he would have eventually been known by the moniker 'Konoha's Unpredictable Ninja', or Naruto-KUN (A/N: if it wasn't already obvious, note the first letters of his moniker) by all of his fangirls, but that was beside the point. What mattered here and now was that the boy had just refused the second chance that almost everyone would kill for. If this didn't throw a wrench in Kami-sama's plans, then she didn't know what would; he was supposed to go back and eventually save the world from the fake Madara's Moon's Eye plan, basically be handed a harem on a silver platter, and then die happy before being sent to heaven. But now that he'd just refused to be sent back, well….

'Talk about a cosmic epic fail of enormous proportions….Granted, the boy doesn't know just what exactly his decision will cause, but…headquarters will be in an uproar once they get wind of this. And yet, as much as I'd like for him to have just agreed to go back, I can't really blame him for his choice. I would have probably done the same thing if I was in his place; no one should have to endure the hell that he did…'

This time it was the Shinigami's turn to sigh. Oh what a ruckus this whole matter was going to cause; Kami-sama was going to be furious, worried, and concerned all at the same time. And it wasn't like they could send him back against his will, either…that would cause an even bigger catastrophe than they were already facing with his refusal, because if he went back only to commit seppuku, well…

Yeah, she didn't want to think about that. They would have to find an alternate solution to this whole mess, which wasn't going to be easy, given that the child all their hopes had been riding on up until this point was now outside of the equation. Still, somehow they would work things out. Granted, she didn't know exactly _how _they would do it yet, but….she wasn't a god for nothing. They wouldn't be the gods of this realm if they didn't expect this sort of thing to happen every millennium or so, after all.

Still, this whole mess raised the question of what they were going to do with one Uzumaki Naruto, now that the intended cosmic plan had gone down the gutter, so to speak. They as gods couldn't really send him to hell for a decision that he didn't know the consequences of—he was only five, after all—but they couldn't send him to heaven either without him completing the portion of the plan that he had been supposed to carry out. And with their hands tied like that, that left only one option; he was to remain here in limbo until they got this mess sorted out and an alternate solution devised.

"Well, I hate to say this Naruto, but you're in for a rather boring afterlife. You see, you were supposed to head back to the realm of the living, but now….now you're basically stuck here in limbo with me as my assistant in judging the souls that come through here."

"So I get to decide the fates of others now? That's cool, I guess…" The Shinigami couldn't help but giggle in amusement at his starry-eyed expression. Things might not have been going according to plan, but somehow she knew that everything would work out. Now if only she could get rid of this blasted paperwork, everything would be right in her world….

* * *

So yeah, this is the plot bunny that's been bugging me for a while. It's not your typical Naruto story by any stretch of the imagination, but then again this is me we're talking about; I don't do ordinary ;)

I won't say what the pairing is for this story yet; while the third category is probably gonna be romance, I haven't decided where exactly I want this fic to go, so even if you asked I wouldn't be able to tell you, sadly.

Anyways, you know the deal; follow the three Rs (read rave review) and I'll be happy. If you've got any questions, or just want me to continue this plot bunny-inspired ficlet, leave a review or a PM and I'll get back to you with my progress and answers to whatever questions you might have.

Peace out,

-ZGS


	2. Meeting Akane

Okay, first things first, I'm sorry this chapter took so long to get out; for one thing my muse abandoned me for a while, and for another I just couldn't find the time to write what with everything going on in my life (school, classes, chores, games, you know the deal). I am happy this story was well recieved, and I'll try my best to focus on it as the response to my poll's votes, but I will make no promises on how fast I will be able to churn out chapters. I'd also like to say thank you to those of you who reviewed/alerted/favorited this story—it really means a lot to me to have people like my works, even if they're just small chapters like the previous one was. But anyways, I digress.

Review response(s):

To Sage of Eyes: Could you point me to the places where I capped words or sweared excessively? Because, as far as I know, there was only one or two instances of actual swearing, and no entirely capped words in the whole previous chapter. I hardly find that excessive, especially considered the ficlet _has _been rated M from the get-go, but if you can point me to where it irked you I would be happy to look into changing it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any other characters/locations/whatever that appear in this ficlet, those belong to their corresponding author(s). This fanfic is being made merely for both my own and my readers' entertainment purposes, with no profit being made by anyone.

Key:

"Talking"

'Thinking'

Story Text

* * *

_Shinigami's Office [Purgatory]_

Little Naruto was currently sitting beside the Shinigami on a small couch as she read him a story about his parents' adventures. Of course, having never met them himself, the young boy was literally bouncing up and down in excitement over finally learning _something _about his immediate family.

However, before we continue you must understand a certain aspect about Naruto's life; in all his five years spent in the mortal realm no one, and I mean _no one_, had told him who his parents were, no matter how much he pleaded or how frequently he asked. This wouldn't have been a problem if no one actually knew who they were, of course, but when the Shinigami had told him of his origins (and subsequently who knew the truth about his parents) he had nearly thrown a fit because of how furious he was, both at the Sandaime and at himself.

You see, the Sandaime had passed a law forbidding anyone who knew his parents from telling him who they were, supposedly for 'his own good'. Granted, the Shinigami had also told him that he was supposed to learn of his origins when he made Chūnin or turned 18, whichever came first, but he hadn't known that until she told him. Needless to say, what little trust he had in the village and its people was forever destroyed when he learned of this; after all, if they withheld information from him once, what was stopping them from doing so again?

The answer, as Naruto had correctly deduced at the time, was there wasn't anything in the way of people withholding information from him. For all he knew, if he hadn't wound up dead he could have been left in the dark about his parents for the rest of his life. And as shocking as it sounds, he wouldn't have put it past the old Hokage to conveniently 'forget' when it came time to tell him...

But that was neither here nor there, as that future would now never come to pass. Anyways, back to our story.

"You know, Naruto, if you keep bouncing like that the couch will eventually break, and then I won't have anywhere to read more stories to you..."

The Shinigami couldn't help but giggle softly at the look of mock-horror that crossed his face as he somehow stopped mid jump, before falling back down with a pout. This, of course, only prompted more giggles out of the death god, who had to resist the urge to glomp him while squealing 'Kawaii!' in a fangirlish tone. He was just that cute, though she'd never say that to his face.

It had been roughly a week since Naruto had arrived in purgatory, and Natsumi—the Shinigami—saw to it that he had adjusted accordingly. She'd made certain that he felt at home, because the way matters were going purgatory probably _would _be his home for quite a while, at least until they got the whole 'save the world' plan figured out once again.

Of course, it was certainly possible that one of the resident deities would come up with a nifty strategy in a very short amount of time, meaning he could actually move on to the afterlife, but she figured it was best to be prepared for any situation. Hence the reason she set things up so he would have a place to stay. Sure, it had meant knocking down a few walls here and there and adjusting living spaces slightly, but nothing too serious.

Anyways, having already told the boy many different stories of his parents' exploits, Natsumi was now explaining the circumstances of his birth; namely how his parents had died protecting him, and of Akane, the Kyuubi no Kitsune who had been sealed inside of him at birth. When she had explained that the Kyuubi had been controlled by a powerful genjutsu during the attack, however, he couldn't help but stare at her with wide eyes.

"Wait, you mean the Kyuubi _isn't _evil?"

"Yep, that's precisely what I mean." she replied, unable to completely stifle her laughter at his bug-eyed expression.

"Would...would it be possible for me to...speak to her?" He asked, glancing hopefully at the death god after a few minutes of contemplation.

"Oh? And why would you want to do that?"

"Well...I kinda wanted to apologize and all. I mean, she _was _trapped within me for something that wasn't exactly her fault, so...yeah."

Natsumi merely arched an eyebrow, surprised at his maturity, before starting to draw glyphs in the air in front of the sofa. Naruto watched in fascination as the glyphs forming from the trail her finger took slowly arranged themselves into the shape of an empty doorway. When the final glyph fell into place, Natsumi stood up, a slight smile on her face as she offered her hand to Naruto.

"Well, now that I know your reasons are honorable, why don't we pay her a visit?"

* * *

_Kami's Monitor Room [Heaven Observatory] _

Kami was pissed. Scratch that, she was beyond pissed. As for why she was so angry, well….she'd just found out about young Naruto's game-changing decision after watching the scene play out on one of the many monitors in front of her. Now, granted, in retrospect she should have seen this coming given how his life had turned out, but that didn't change the fact that years upon years of planning and coordination with her fellow immortals had just gone down the drain in the blink of an eye. She sighed. As quick as the seeds of anger had sprouted within her, they withered even faster; she would have liked to place the blame on the young boy for the consequences his decision would cause, but Kami knew that it wasn't—and never would be—his fault. And she could never placed blame where it wasn't due, at least not without breaking some of the rules she herself had set up. If anything should have been blaming herself, as it was her own fault for allowing his life to become so out of hand….

But that was neither here nor there; the past was the past, and while it _was_ within her jurisdiction to rewind time, with Naruto now here in purgatory doing so would only create a conundrum of epic proportions. You see, while Kami could be considered an omnipotent god there were still boundaries to her powers, put in place out of necessity. She could push past these limits, of course, but in doing so she would be breaking the rules that held the very fabric of the space-time continuum together—something she wanted to avoid at all costs if she still wanted something to govern. After all, her power came from the mortal realm, and if those who worshiped her disappeared...Kami didn't want to think about what would happen after _that_.

But anyways, back to the conundrum at hand. The real problem, she supposed, was that her hands were bound no matter which way she looked at the matter; unless she and her fellow gods could collectively come up with an alternate solution to the fake Madara's Moon's Eye plan, everything they'd worked on up until this point would have been for naught. And because the Naruto here in purgatory would remain in purgatory even if she rewound time back to the point of his birth and changed events thereafter….that wasn't an option either. As much as she loved the blond bundle of energy and his antics, having _two_ of him running around at the same time would create enough paperwork to make a Kage's worst nightmare seem like a piece of cake in comparison.

Still, that wasn't to say no good came of young Naruto's decision; while it certainly created a right mess out of their planning for the mortal realm, having him in purgatory served to make the gods' lives a lot less gloomy, even if he did occasionally get into trouble. Speaking of trouble, though…

'I'd better warn Akane that those two are coming to Makai for a visit, just to make sure he doesn't get into _too_ much trouble while in the demon realm. Knowing him, though, he's probably going to create more paperwork for us while he's there….'

Smiling slightly to herself at the thought of what mischief the blonde bundle of energy might cause, Kami dusted off her ceremonial robes, before warping to the lower regions of purgatory where the Shinigami's office was. She did remember to leave a clone of herself to watch the monitor room though, just in case anything happened while she was away.

* * *

_Makai Palace [Demon Realm HQ]  
_

As much as she would have liked to desert her post and wreak havoc in the mortal realm once again, Akane knew that if she did so she would be liable to be put under _that man's_ jutsu once again. And while mindless destruction held a very dear place in her heart, she wasn't one who liked to be under the orders of anyone else. Especially a mortal like that wretched Uchiha.

As the acting head demon—the Juubi was currently off on another 'vacation', damn his infernal hide—she was also required to fill out and complete the paperwork for governing Makai...which of course was where she was now, surrounded by hundreds upon hundreds of proposals and forms that needed her attention to keep everything running smoothly. Akane was perfectly capable of completing said task, but, as she was fiery and impulsive by nature, was easier said that done. So when the the head mistress (aka Kami herself) poofed into her office out of nowhere, she was glad of the interruption.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit, Kami-sama?" She asked in a bored tone, though on the inside Akane was bouncing around with glee at having a legitimate excuse to _not_ do the stupid paperwork.

"You can drop the act, Akane; I know as well as you do just how much you despise doing this stuff." Kami deadpanned, gesturing at the mountain of papers all over the office. Akane merely sweatdropped, before pouting childishly at Kami ruining her fun.

"Well, regardless of that, it's good to see you Kami."

"Likewise." The head goddess replied, as the two shared a quick hug. "Anyways, I came to tell you that you should be expecting two visitors in a few minutes."

"Oh? it's not often that we get visitors down here in the lower realm..." Akane arched an eyebrow at her elder, pouting once more when Kami only grinned at her.

"I won't tell you who they are, but I'll leave you a hint; you met them both approximately five years ago."

With her message delivered, Kami vanished once again, but not before adding more papers to the already huge piles sitting on Akane's desk.

"DAMN YOU KAMI-SAMA!" Akane yelled, only to sweatdrop for the second time in three minutes as her guests arrived just in time to catch her outburst. Smiling sheepishly at the two new arrivals, she waved her hands, causing two chairs to phase into existence where there had been nothing but floor previously.

"Um...did we come at a bad time Akane-chan...?"

"Not at all, Shinigami-sama; Kami just gave me another bucket of paperwork to deal with and then vanished."

This time it was Natsumi's turn to sweatdrop, though she couldn't help but let out a small chuckle at how Kami handled passing out the paperwork that plagued them all. Akane merely shot her an annoyed glance, before turning her attention to the final occupant of the room. She couldn't help but notice the resemblance he held to the young Hokage who had sealed her in a small boy five years ago...

'Wait a minute, this must be his son...and my former container.' She thought to herself, a sad smile marring her beautiful face. Though said smile quickly turned to a frown when she realized he must have been staying in purgatory for him to be here. Now, Akane was no fool; she had seen his life up until the point he died, and the way he had been treated had left much to be desired. So it didn't take her long to figure out that, given just how he had been treated in the mortal realm, he had made the decision to remain in the afterlife instead of returning and fulfilling the destiny that Kami and the others had laid out.

"Um, excuse me miss...?"

Startled, she blinked, focusing her crimson, slitted eyes on the young boy in front of her.

"I...I'd like to...apologize. For everything..."

* * *

Mwahahaha, a cliffie (albeit a small one)! How will Akane take Naruto's apology? And what will happen to our favorite blonde troublemaker now that he's meeting the important people in the gods' realm(s)? Find out in the next installment of _Requiem of the Fallen_!

Anyways, thanks for reading, and please review! Reviews tell me what I'm doing right and wrong, so please help me out by posting a comment about my story.

-ZGS


End file.
